Searchspring — Performance Grade C
Heavy — high conversion risk
Searchspring is a storefront search and filtering app for Shopify that scores Grade C overall in StackConflict’s independent performance lab. The grade is driven entirely by its download payload: our lab recorded 174.88 KB of JavaScript — a heavy JavaScript bundle that will delay first-paint on slower mobile connections, placing it in the C-tier for network cost. Notably, once downloaded, the script executes very efficiently: only 19 ms of desktop CPU time (Grade A), meaning the bottleneck is connection speed and first-paint delay, not main-thread execution.
The practical impact for Shopify merchants is a longer first-paint on slower connections. A 174.88 KB download must complete before the script can initialise — on a mid-range mobile connection (10 Mbit/s) this adds roughly 137 ms of network latency before the browser even begins execution. Once the script does load, it runs quickly: StackConflict’s 4× mobile throttle measurement recorded only 108 ms (0.11s) of CPU execution — well within acceptable limits. For merchants on high-speed connections or desktop-dominant traffic, the payload cost is far less noticeable than on mobile-heavy, emerging-market stores.
Verdict (Grade C — Heavy): Searchspring carries a Grade C rating due to its outsized JavaScript footprint. Merchants prioritising Shopify store speed should evaluate whether the feature value justifies the performance cost, particularly on stores where mobile traffic accounts for more than 60% of sessions. Use StackConflict’s Stack Builder to model the combined impact of all apps in your current stack before making a decision.
Lab Results
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| JS Payload | 174.88 KB | C |
| CPU Execution (desktop) | 19 ms | A |
| CPU Execution (mobile) | 108 ms | — |
| Cumulative Layout Shift | 0.0 | A |
| Overall Grade | — | C |
| Category | Search | — |
| Last tested | 2026-05-30 | — |
Lab Verdict
Grade C driven by large download payload. Monitor mobile conversion impact carefully.
Grading Scale
Each app is graded across three independent dimensions. The final grade is the worst of the three — no dimension can be hidden by a good score elsewhere.
| Grade | Payload | CPU (desktop) | CLS | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | ≤ 30 KB | ≤ 50 ms | < 0.1 | Lightweight — zero friction |
| B | ≤ 150 KB | ≤ 150 ms | < 0.25 | Acceptable — monitor on mobile |
| C | ≤ 500 KB | ≤ 500 ms | < 0.5 | Heavy — high conversion risk |
| D | > 500 KB | > 500 ms | ≥ 0.5 | Critical — avoid on mobile stores |
Faster Alternatives
No lighter search apps with verified performance data are currently available in our lab. Other apps in this category use async loaders and are pending a rescan. Once rescans complete, alternatives will appear here.
About This Test
StackConflict measures app performance in a clean-room environment. Each app’s JavaScript bundle is injected into an owned Shopify development store via a Playwright-controlled browser, with no other third-party apps installed. V8 CPU cost is the ScriptDuration delta measured before and after injection on the same live page. Mobile CPU estimate applies the 4× Lighthouse slowdown factor to approximate real-device impact.
Data sourced from the StackConflict Lab. Last updated 2026-05-30.